


heroes never die

by theholyjuggernaut



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Bittersweet Ending, Depression, Gen, Guilt, Immortality, Injury, Sadness, Suicide, Very concerned Champions, Violence, repeated character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23727769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theholyjuggernaut/pseuds/theholyjuggernaut
Summary: First, it was the rockfall.
Comments: 17
Kudos: 136





	heroes never die

**Author's Note:**

> Brace yourself.  
> You've just boarded the Sad Train.

First, it was the rockfall. 

Link lands smoothly on his Fisherman’s Shield, winding around the mountain’s edges. The brush of wind against his skin is nice – nicer than anything he’s felt so far with his limited memories. He somehow feels like himself out in the wild, although he’s not quite sure what that means yet.

There’s too many questions and not enough time. 

It takes ages to near the bottom of the valley, and his Sheikah slate is still pulsing profusely at his belt. Link continues his downhill surf, trying to engulf himself in the sensation. Raindrops begin to trickle down his neck, and soon enough, the heavens are flooding.

It comes so quickly, Link can’t even process his thoughts. 

One second, he’s gliding down the mountain; the next, he’s lost his footing and the shield slips out from beneath him. His mind goes blank, and time turns to molasses, slowly weeping down the mountainside. All he can feel is pain as his head smacks the rocky ground and his limbs rapidly bend at uncomfortable angles. 

Thunder clashes from above, and Link free-falls. 

Something sharp stabs his leg. He tumbles backward, and his ribs crack against a jagged surface. A burst of wind and rain blows a lock of hair into his eyes, and he blinks profusely to regain his vision. Link has never felt so blind in his waking memory. The fall continues, each moment more painful than the last. 

Far above him – but not from the sky – he hears a deep rumble. The ground quakes beneath him, and he can’t tell if it’s just the pain that’s making him tremble. His head aches so badly. 

Finally, he stops falling, shirt snagged by a fallen tree, and takes a moment to collect himself. He gasps helplessly, a high hiss of pain escaping his lips, and frantically searches for the source of the rumbling. 

There’s something large and gray rolling toward him, Link’s shirt is caught in the tree, and he can’t move. These facts present themselves far too late for the hero. 

The dark blur is getting closer, closer, closer, and he struggles – _of course_ he struggles – to free himself. The hand he’s using is torn apart by the bark and branches, his heartbeat as sonorous as the roar of a Lynel; he squirms and kicks, ribs screaming in agony at the movement. Link can feel his lungs climbing up his throat, swelling up with cerulean water, and breathing becomes inconsequential.

The boulder is seconds away from his face, and his instincts are forcing him to duck and clench his eyes shut, like a child would under their covers. 

Link hears his own skull break.

_First, it was the rockfall._

* * *

  
  


Akkala is scorching. 

It’s like a million red-hot needles in Link’s skin as he paraglides through the ashen sky. Even with his fireproof armor, traveling near Death Mountain is never a relaxing endeavor. But he’s here for a purpose, so Link will fulfill it, no matter how painful. 

He’s learned thus far that that’s the kind of person he’s supposed to be. 

An elevated rock formation juts out of a lava pool close by, rich and thriving with luminous blue rocks and gleaming minerals. Naturally he flies in that direction – eager to get back to Gerudo Town and buy a new outfit from the GSC. He needs more flint too, so he can help that women open her jewelry shop in the plaza. 

When he lands, the ground heats up like coals beneath his feet. Quickly, he grabs his Stone Smasher and gets to work, not very eager to stay for longer than necessary. He manages to haul in quite a lot – luminous stones, amber, and a few shards of flint. 

Link lifts his arm to wipe the budding sweat off his face, but is interrupted by a deep rumbling behind him. He immediately rips his gaze to the mountainside, but there are no boulders falling. Not like before, thank Hylia. 

But the noise persists, and the land beneath Link is rising, and rising, and rising…

An Igneo Talus erupts from the ground. 

Link is right on top of it, he can see its weak spot, he can hit it right now, but the shock has frozen his body in place. Ironic, to be frozen in the land of heat. 

Before he knows it, he’s being thrown up in the air – across the lava pool and against a steep face of the blistering mountainside. The lava below him grumbles, the grumble of a hungry stomach, and Link its next meal. It’s almost as if it’s salivating as the heat bubbles burst on the liquid’s surface. 

He’s gripping the cliff like his life depends on it, because it always does, something is always out to get him these days. _All_ days. 

He glances down at the lava. Then straight ahead at the Talus. There are two painful options, but Link prefers one over the other, so he quickly paraglides back onto the rock formation. The burning monster swings a rocky arm toward the hero, but he dodges and rolls underneath it. Gripping his Stone Smasher tightly, he swings it at the Talus’ feet. 

It stumbles, and even though it has no face, Link knows he’s angered it. 

The monster is lifting its arm up for another swing, and Link does what he’s done for Stone Taluses. He leaps onto its arm. 

It shouldn’t have hurt. Link was wearing fireproof armor – straight from Goron City. But even so, he can feel his clothes catch fire, the soles of his feet become raw and blistered. The pain is so much _more_ than he ever imagined. It’s a level of heat he can’t comprehend, so much so that his throat becomes as dry as the Gerudo Desert and his eyes sting from just being open. 

The Talus is moving again, and Link is burning. 

The monster punches downward. Its fists connect with the rocky ground and Link goes flying – still on fire, and his eyes catch where he’s going to fall. 

He sees the lava in mid-air – hungry and fatal. He sees the sky above him, perpetually smoky and gray. 

Link’s eyes stay open as he doesn’t touch land, as he doesn’t make it home, as he’s swallowed up by a heat that he’s never wanted to experience.

Lights out. 

* * *

Link didn’t mean to end up in this situation.

But fate never had been very kind to him. 

One moment, he’s riding through the forest; the next, a jolt of electricity connects with the shield on his back and sends him flying off his horse. He hits the ground hard, yellow sparks curling around his body. It takes a few agonizing seconds to collect himself enough to move his body. 

He tries to stand, a wave of pain shooting through his leg where a long, lightning-shaped arrow is buried deep. Link’s fingers tremble around the fletching, the ominous clop of hooves coming near, and he realizes what he’s dealing with. Two arrows – one in his shield, one in his leg. So where’s the third?

He looks behind him, where his horse lies dead in a heap. 

There’s not enough time to feel grief, because what killed his horse and messed up his leg is coming to finish the job – he can hear the huffs of rage not far away in the trees. 

Link’s already low on food, just having raided a nearby Moblin camp. He did steal a good sword – though small and dainty compared to the Lynel he’s about to face. Or _not_ face. He’s considering just making a run for it. With the one leg that still works, of course. 

But it doesn’t matter anymore, because Link has wasted enough time and the beast is charging at him now. Ringing cacophony fills his ears, his leg is on fire, and he just barely manages to dodge the oncoming attack. His feet give out from under him, and he collapses in the grass.

The Lynel towers over him, luminous red eyes boring down in a declaration of death. 

It’s a terrifying beast the hero has never seen before, dark purple stripes enveloping its scar-riddled body. And it’s currently aiming a massive spear at Link’s chest.

He’s had no time to prepare for this, no decent equipment, just a Moonlight Scimitar and a beat-down Traveler’s Bow. 

Link remembers his Sheikah slate – a last, desperate resort – but it’s in the grass behind the Silver Lynel. From how weak his leg is, it might as well be a trip from Goron City to Gerudo Town. Groaning weakly, he tries to limp away, the Shock Arrow still buried bone-deep in his throbbing leg. He’s so tired of being afraid, of having to run, but that’s all he _is_ now. 

The Lynel is thrusting the spear at him, and Link is throwing his blade at its chest, shooting arrows, doing everything he can –

But it’s not enough. 

Suddenly, he’s being lifted off the ground, deliriously unsure of how that’s possible until his eyes trail down to his chest. 

And the spear sticking out of it. 

The Lynel’s vicious red eyes are the last thing Link sees before choking on his own blood. 

* * *

It’s gotten so old, Link thinks.

The whole _avenging Master Kogha_ thing. It’s been ages since Link took him down – or, well, he took _himself_ down, technically. The Yiga clan has been following the hero around for ages, and he can’t seem to get them to stop. 

Link just never thought they would go this far. 

At least a dozen of them jumped him as he was resting by the fire at the Gerudo Canyon Stable. It had been – as usual – a long, exhausting day of traveling. All he had wanted to do was take a break. Maybe ride to Gerudo Town and get one of their famous massages, if he was willing to risk it. Which he was. 

The fire had just been so _relaxing;_ a welcome remedy to his aching, sore muscles. He didn’t mean to doze off, but it was quite late, and Link finally got the silence he’d been longing for. 

The horses suddenly went skittish in the stables, waking Link and a few other vagrants nearby. 

Out of nowhere, strong red arms covered his mouth, and Link was too sore to do anything but try and wriggle out of his assailant’s grasp. He heard muffled shouts for him – _I didn’t know the stable master knew my name, that’s nice_ – and more shuffling, less breathing, and something hard to the back of his neck. 

Now he’s waking up in the Yiga clan’s hideout, tied to a wooden board, surrounded by a dozen masks. 

He’s too easy. He has to be better. This can’t happen again, being snuck up on like that. 

Well, if there’s an _again_. 

But Link knows, in the deep recesses of his mind, that there’s always an _again._ There’s an unfair exception for him – an agreement between Link and Death that he doesn’t know the terms of. Each and every time he wakes up, seemingly saved by something unknown, the pit in his heart widens.

Why was it that he got a second, third, fourth chance? Why is he alive now, when his friends suffered a century trapped inside the corrupted Divine Beasts?

These questions are left unanswered, and he’s punched in the jaw. It’s bearable – he’s had worse. So much worse. The masked members spit out insults, but none of them really get under his skin. 

Their knives do that instead. 

Link bleeds slowly. He bleeds knowing that the point of this is so he _hurts_ , but all he feels is a sweeping numbness in the depths of his heart. He bleeds knowing that his blood might spill for centuries before he finally, truly dies. 

A Windcleaver is poked through his eye, and that’s when Link actually starts to respond. He makes a considerable effort trying to free himself – tired of the torture, tired of reviving, tired of his endless cycle of grief and heartbreak. 

Link gasps breathlessly as they take turns choking him to the brink of unconsciousness. He says nothing when they release their grip from his neck. He just stares ahead, his good eye leaking silent tears of pain. Soon enough, the clan becomes tired of his stoic nature. 

As they all move to leave, one of them slits his throat. Like an afterthought.

Link closes his eyes and waits. 

* * *

Windblight Ganon kills him steadily.

Link won’t go down without a fight, especially not with Revali’s spirit watching them. He’s recovered most of his memories, and he knows that his friend deserves saving, no matter their differences. But he can feel himself losing – he knows _for sure_ that he’s losing when the Rito champion starts to encourage him. 

_You okay?_

_Don’t go out like this!_

_Link, you have to keep fighting!_

Link hears it deep in his mind, because he’s telling himself the same thing. 

Despite his determination to fight, Link gets sucked in the air by a massive cyclone and thrown off Vah Medoh to the Earth below. He hears Revali cry out his name – _Link, no! –_ and the hero freefalls, the ship shrinking in his vision until he slams into the ground. 

Link feels his spine crack, and in a split-second, he’s laying on the floating Divine Beast again. 

Windblight Ganon hovers over him, and he manages to dodge out of the way of its blaster. Link realizes he’s never going to get used to reviving like that after feeling his own bones break so vividly. He did just die, but… he didn’t. 

Revali isn’t expecting him to come back after a ten thousand foot drop, and his voice shakes as he shouts: _What in Hylia’s name was that? You just… I just saw you–_

But Link is fighting again, and Revali says nothing as he digs his sword into Windblight Ganon’s eye. The creature dies in a blast of purple fog, and the Champion’s spirit is free. 

The Rito then reveals himself, staring at Link with something akin to wonder and concern. 

Revali composes himself quickly as he walks toward him, surrounded by green flames. It’s nightfall, but the spirit of the Champion glows brightly. Link wonders if being trapped inside the Divine Beast for all those years – unable to die or escape – is similar to what he’s going through. 

“Well done. I suppose I should thank you now that my spirit is free. This returns Medoh back to its rightful owner!” Revali says. 

Link is a bit anxious he’s going to ask about what happened back there. The hero has no answers for any questions Revali may have. None of it makes sense, and he’s gotten so tired of things not making sense. 

But Revali doesn’t ask, although Link wonders if he wants to – and he continues his monologue as the hero watches on silently. 

“Don’t preen yourself for just doing your job. I do suppose you’ve proven your value as a warrior. A warrior worthy of my unique ability. The sacred skill that I have dubbed Revali’s Gale!”

Revali throws a glowing orb of power into Link’s chest with a triumphant shout, and he’s lifted off the ground by a gust of wind. A surge of energy flows through his veins. The hero is grateful to the Champion; hopefully he’s showing it in his eyes, because this ability is going to make his life so much easier. 

Something in the Rito’s face changes, becomes softer, and he turns to face the moon overhead. 

“It’s now time to move on and start making preparations for Medoh’s strike on Ganon. But only if _you_ think you’ll still need my help while you’re fighting inside Hyrule Castle. Feel free to thank me now,” he says, and Link stares ahead, holding back a dry chuckle. 

Revali shakes his head and sighs, “Or… never mind, just go. Your job is far from finished, you know. The princess has been waiting an awful long time.” 

Link knows this; he’s been thinking about it nonstop since he awoke in the Shrine of Resurrection. She’s all alone in the castle, fighting a battle that seems hopeless, and the hero knows the feeling all too well. 

As his body disappears in a shining golden light, he catches Revali’s eyes. 

The Champion is no longer hiding his concern. 

* * *

Link battles Fireblight Ganon. 

Twenty minutes in, he’s sliced in half by its Guardian Blade. 

He watches as his skin sews itself back together. It’s the first time Link hears Daruk swear.

  
  


* * *

Waterblight Ganon swipes at his feet, cutting through his ankles.

Link tumbles into the water and feels the monster’s gigantic spear impale his lungs. 

As he sucks in his postmortem breath, Mipha cries out in a combination of relief and horror.

* * *

Thunderblight Ganon is quick to electrocute him. 

Link loses grip of his weapons, gets stabbed repeatedly in the stomach. His blood flows up the slanted floor and seeps back into his body like a crimson snake.

Urbosa is like Revali – silent and shocked – but she continues to encourage him even after his gruesome escape from death. 

  
  


* * *

_You all right, little guy?_

_Link… what happened to you?_

_Fate has a cruel sense of humor, boy._

They’re concerned, Link can tell. But at least they’re free – that’s all that matters now. They’re free, and Link can rescue Zelda from her century-long tug of war with Calamity Ganon. Or maybe she’ll be the one to rescue the hero from his awful, twisted destiny. 

He can hope. 

  
  


* * *

He’s shot by three Guardians on his way to Hyrule Castle’s main entrance. 

The lasers cut cleanly through his body, and he jolts up from the cold ground feeling sick. The sensation of heat bulleting its way under his skin, into his organs – it stays with him until he reaches Calamity Ganon. 

It takes Link ten lives to destroy the plague of Hyrule Castle, and when he finally does, he weeps.

Link has died too many times, and it’s like pieces of his soul are being ripped away each time he falls. Choking on his tears, he crashes to his knees, exhausted. 

But it’s all over. Princess Zelda is free. 

Link can only hope that he is as well. 

* * *

Zelda is queen, and she rules beautifully. 

Link visits her the night before, says nothing, keeps her company. 

He watches her write in her journal, listens to her organize preparations for rebuilding Hyrule. There’s much to do. As he turns to leave, she smiles at him, and he can see in her eyes how thankful she is. 

His lips upturn without meaning to, and for once it feels genuine. 

  
  


* * *

Around midnight, Link teleports to the Korok Forest. 

He quietly approaches the Master Sword’s stone pedestal, mindful not to wake the Great Deku Tree. Pale moonlight shines through the leaves, and the grass flows in the gentle wind. It’s a peaceful sight. 

Link unsheathes the Sword of Legend. He studies the blade for a moment. 

This is where it ends – he’s certain this time.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Link thrusts it deep into his heart. 

Immediately after, he shoves it into the pedestal, which glows brightly around the blade. He gasps quietly and falls to the ground, hands resting at his sides, crimson soaking through his Hylian tunic.

As he fades away, an ethereal voice echoes in his mind.

_Rest now, young hero. You have done well._

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Comments are encouraged! :)


End file.
